Tips for agents for dealing with customer rejections

It is easy for a Telemarketing agent to feel dejected. Half of the world is registered on the ‘Do not Call / Do not Disturb’ lists, and the other half is ‘busy’ or ‘not interested’. So how should a Telemarketing agent achieve the assigned target?

The job of a telemarketing agent is perceived as very tough and this is the reason why all the best call centers of the world provide maximum soft-skill training to their telemarketing agents. But all soft-skills are of no use if the agent is not able to go beyond the ‘not interested’ in a conversation.

So here are some tips on what should call center agents say to turn ‘not interested’ customers into those who are interested to listen and also interested to buy:

Respect the customer’s time:

Telemarketing agents might feel frustrated that why is the customer not sparing even a few minutes to listen, but it is possible that the customer is genuinely in a position where it is not possible to talk – like in a crucial meeting, or in a hospital etc. This is why, before the agent begins to read out from their script, they should ask – ‘Mr. X, is this the right time to talk?’ Only if the customer responds in the affirmative, then the agent should proceed further. If the person says that they are busy, then the agent should ask about an appropriate time to call. To insist on speaking right now is sure way to irk the customers!

Don’t be insisting, be inviting:

As a tele-caller , you cannot hold a person by hand and make them listen to you. But you can have a gripping style which compels the other person to listen to you. It is very important for the agent to understand this difference of approach.

An agent should therefore not unnecessarily insist or plead the customer to listen. Rather the agent should only invite the customer with a sweet and simple sentence like ‘I would like to present you with an opportunity, to know more about our special offer/product/services.’ This sentence is enough to arouse curiosity.

Have consistency and gratitude:

If a customer responds saying they are ‘not interested’ to listen, then a lot of agents just bang the phone down, as retaliation to the customer’s response. Nothing can be worse than such behavior. The agents should be always be consistent in their politeness, irrespective of what the customer on the other line is saying. They should always close the call properly with a ‘Thanks for your valuable time. I appreciate it.’ Customers would actually feel good that the agent was so considerate.